Silo-door.



UNITED s'ra gas PATENT OFFICE.

CHRISTOPHER J. LAWLESS, F LINCOLN, NEBRASKA.

' sm-noon.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. @21, 1914.

Application filed November 19, 1918. Serial 1i 0. 801,902

I '0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHRISTOPHER J. LAW-LESS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lincoln, in the countyof Lancaster and. ,State of Nebraska, have invented a new and "stitutingat once, the rung of a ladder, and

a means for supporting the door when the door is in an open position orin a closed position, the said portion of the hanger cooperating withthe lower cross bar of the door frame, to effect thisresult.

Another object of the invention is to provide novel means for assemblingthe ends of thehanger with the door frame.

Another object of the invention is to provide a door hanger, theconstituent elements of which may be separated readily, therebypermitting the use of one piece bearings and claimed, it beingunderstood that changes in the precise embodiment of the inventionherein disclosed can -be made within the scope of what is claimedwithout departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

In the accompanying drawingsFigure l shows the invention in frontelevation, the door being in closed position; Fig. 2 is a transversesection of the door and door frame; Fig. 3 is a fragmental verticalsectionof the upper cross bar of the door frame, the view depicting thesupporting bracket in coiiperation with the hanger; Fig tis aperspective view of the bracket; Fig. 5 is a horizontal section, showingthe door in open position, the view depicting the manner in which theladder forming portion of the hanger coiiperates with the door frame'tosupport the door when the door is open; Fig.

.6 is a fragmental perspective showing a a la dcr.

slight modification in the invention; and Fig.7 is a perspective detailshowing anotherslight modification in the invention. In the accompanyingdrawings, a portion of the door frame of a silo is shown, the framecomprising upright stiles l and cross bars 2 and 3, defining thedoor-way. The door is denoted by the numeral 35, and may be of any.desired form. In the present instance, the door .35 is shown ascomprising upright cleats 4 and 5 united by a diagonal brace 6. I

Mounted upon the cleat 4 are bearings 7, provided wit transverseelongated slots 8, receiving bolts or screws 9 which enter the cleat 4,the construction being such that the bearings 7 may be adjustedhorizontally, and transversely of the door.

Securing elements 10 are mounted in the diagonal brace 6 and in theupright cleat 4, the same-receiving loops 11 formed in the ends 'of ahorizontally disposed step 12.

Brackets 14 are secured to the cross bars 2and 3, in vertical alinement,and adjacent the longitudinal center of the door-way. These brackets aswill be understood best from Fig. 4, are of S-shape. In the body 15 ofeach bracket 13 there are horizontally disposed elongated slots 16,adapted to receive securing elements 16*, which, engaging the cross bars2 and 3, hold the brackets 14 in place for horizontal adjustment. Eachbracket 14 comprises an outwardly extended horizontally disposed arm 17and an .in- Wardly extended horizol'itallydisposed arm 18, the arm 18lying slightly below the lower face of the cross bar 2. In the arms 17and 18 there are openings 19.

A hanger for the door 35 is provided, and this hanger is a compositestructure, the same comprising an L-shaped upper member 20 including ahorizontally disposed arm 21 terminating in a downwardly extended fin-'er 22. The finger 22 is received rotatably 1n the gopen'ing- 19 of thearm 18 of the bracket 14. The member 20 includes a ver-, tical arm 23which is jo-urnaled for rotation in the upper bearing 7. Theextremit'y'of the arm 23 is threaded as indicated at 24. The hangerfurther includes an L-shaped lower member 25, the .same comprising ahorizontally disposed arm 26,-ofl'set to form a ste 27 adapted toconstitute one rung of By the construction above outlined, an angle 28is formed, having functions which will be set forth hereinafter, at-

tentio-n being directed especially to Fig. 5. The arm 26 forms an acuteangle 26 with one side portion of the step 27 The step 27 of the lowermember of the hanger termimates; in a downwardly extended finger 29which is engaged in the opening 19 in the arm 17 of the lower bracket14. The lower member of the hanger comprisesva vertical arm 30 which, isthreaded as indicated at 31, in an opposite direction to the thread ing24 of the arm 23, the threaded portions 31 and 24 receiving aturn-buckle 32.

If desired, an angle plate 33 may be secured to the lower cross bar 3,as shown in Fig. 6. If desired, further, afiat plate 34 may be securedto the lower cross bar 3, as shown in Fig. 7.

Attention is especially directed to the fact that as clearly shown inFig. 2, the horizontal arm 26 of the lower member 25 of the hanger, andmore specifically the angle 26, rests upon. the lower cross bar 3 whenthe door 35 is closed. This feature is of great importance, since theweight of a erson standingupon the step 27, when the cor is closed,

is carried directly into the lower cross bar 3, thereby preventing theweight of a person ascending the silo, from being carried by thebrackets 14, it being obvious, that a. contingency of the sort justabove mentioned would tend to alter the position of the door 35 withrespect to the doorway of the silo.

The angle'plate 33 .shown in Fig. 6 may be employed to supportthe arm 26of the lower member of the hanger in the manner hereinbefore described,and is of use whenthe outer face of the door is substantially flush'withthe outer faceof the door frame. The flat plate 34 shown in Fig. 7,exercises a similar function, and its use will be clearly understood.The plates or supports 33 and 34* constitute a part 'of the door frameand will be so described in claiming this invention.

open position,"the angle 28 in the step, hereinbefore referred to, liesabove the lower cross bar 3 and thus serves to uphold the door when thedoor is-open and swung to the left, reference being had to Fig. 1.-

Owin to the fact that the hanger comprises 51B separable members 20 and25, connected by the turn-buckle 32, the hanger may be mounted readilyin the bearings 7, it 'being possible to fashion each of these hearings7 we one-piece structure. I In order to remove the door 35, the door maybe lifted-slightly, and in this connec- Referring particularly to Fig.5, it will be noted that when the door is swung to tion Fig. 6 may beexamined with advan tage. When the door is lifted, the finger 22 movesout of the opening 19 in the arm 18 of the hanger and the finger 29moves out of the opening 19 in the arm 17 of the hanger. The door maythen he slid. to the right or tothe left and subsequently be re-' movedinwardly."

It is to be noted that the fingers 22 and 29 extend downwardly.Therefore, no matter how great a weight may be carried by the door,through the medium of the ladder forming steps or otherwise, the hangerwill not be sprung out of engagement with the brackets 14.

Having. thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a silo, a frame; a hanger supported by the frame; and a doorcarried by the hanger; the hanger including a step, and a P0111011. ofthe hanger being disposed directly above the lower portion of the frameto serve as a support for the door.

2. In a silo, a frame; a hanger supported by the frame; and a doorcarried by the hanger, the hanger .including a part engaged across thelower-portion of'the frame when the door is open, thereby to'support thedoor.

3. In a silo, a frame; a hanger supported by the frame; and a doorcarried by the hanger; the hanger including an arm offset vtoform astep. and to define an angle in the step, the angle being disposed abovethe lower portion of the frame when the door is closed, thereby tosupport the door.-

' 4. In a silo, a frame including a cross bar; a bracket secured to thecross bar and ineluding vertically spaced arms; an ,upper hanger havingone end journaled in one arm"; a-lower hanger having one endj0urnaled inthe other arm; and doors carried by the hangers.

5. In asilo a frame;.an S-shaped bracket secured to the frame andcomprising an upper arm projecting away from the frame and a lower armprojecting toward the frame, the lower arm. being disposed below thelower face of the frame; alianger CHRISTOPHER J. LAWLESS'.'

Witnesses:

SELINA WILLsoN, I. E. SIMPSON.

